I subscribe to the BBC News because I like my US Coverage to have as little bias as possible, an unknown pitfall of this was me getting horrifically addicted to world news in 2017. Being woke became an obsession, especially when it bled into my love of entertainment and I learned about the BBC Sound Artist, a poll the organization conducts to find and rank the top 200 Artist poised to have a good year in 2017,  a poll conducted using influential industry figures and music critics. Out of some amazing artists like Khalid and RagNBone Man (Saw him in concert in June! Loads of white people…), the Nigerian born songstress rose above them all combining rap minded lyrics with her hard knock soulful voice. I found myself singing along and digging deep to harmonize with her, in the way that made my throat do an ASMR tingle, that’s good singing right there, My Hood for example. All she really released since then was a six song mixtape and some singles, so her new album Empress had me jumping for joy.

Then I got to listen to it after all this anticipation and was struck with a feeling of… Meh. After 2 years of unbelievable hype she debuts with an eight track “project”, a confusing term in my opinion, that doesn’t challenge her range or channel her deep lyricism. I interpret the name Empress to signify her growth as an artist, but with no tangible discography to track her progress, the maturity seems sudden and a step in the wrong direction for her artistry.  It’s a good project for people who have never listened to her before, the songs are more of a pop hip hop blend as opposed to her underground RnB roots. The songs are kinda catchy I guess, a message of female empowerment is uplifting but derivative, Ray’s confidence seems to be at an all time high. I just didn’t find most of it profound or significant to me, or even her for that matter, compared to her earlier more vulnerable music this was disingenuous. Nothing i’ll really be singing in the shower…

Except for a literal couple of songs, I enjoyed two out of the eight songs, “Empress” the titular song which should be one of the best, and “Mama” a heartfelt ode to her mother. These two songs are reminiscent of her old style as it meshes in with the new, unique and rejecting mainstream trappings. Empress stays consistently good and earned a place on my coveted 2018 playlist “Unintentional Sex Jamz 4”, going on about how she’s been hurt and deserves better, her singing is heartfelt and a relief to hear. Mama has a nice old school beat that she sings over before laying down a rap verse that reminded me wha twas so charming about her.

Standout Songs (In Case You Didn’t Read…):

Empress: Empowering herself and others, this is the first song that her vocals carry her through.

Mama: Nice retro vibes that make you want to call your mom. Finally gets some good rapping in.

Run Run is a popular track from what i’ve heard, it addresses her experience with crime and violence which has left her shell shocked in a sense. In those situations her only solution seems to be running away for your freedom. It’s the first song on the project and it sets the wrong tone for the rest of the listening experience. Ray BLK ends on “Just a Kid”, which is just as negative a tone for a project that never really defines it’s purpose or universal themes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keo2U-Rbq4gShe takes time out to actually speak on how hard the youth has it and give some encouraging words but it just doesn’t resonate.

I hope this is the first of many works, her EP’s are veritable classics in comparison to her new work, so after this dip she can only get better, optimistically. Far be it my place to say she’s lost herself, but the Empress is much different from the girl that didn’t want to step foot outside of her hood. Listen to those standout songs, but I also recommend you check out her earlier work to see exactly what you missed out on. Namely “My Hood”, “All or Nothing”, and “Talk to Me”.

I’m glad to hear from Ray BLK at after all this time, but I crave more substance than what feels like a main stream adaption of her work. I’ll always have an appreciation of her of course and when she releases new music that gets back to her roots i’ll be eating these words! In the mean time, I shall assign Ray BlK’s Empress, a hearty:

5/10. A six just felt too strong…